Importance of Vitamin D--Testing Available Locally
By Caty Bruening, VMH Laboratory Manager
Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that helps your body absorb calcium, which is needed for building strong bones. It also helps your muscles move, nerves carry messages from your brain to your body, and strengthens your immune system.
The best food sources of Vitamin D come from milk or other fortified “milk” drinks, such as soy, almond, oat, along with fatty fish, such as trout, salmon, tuna, mackerel. Beef liver, egg yolks, cheese, and mushrooms also provide a little. Your body can also make Vitamin D from the sun when your bare skin is exposed, but factors such as clouds, smog, sunscreen, old age, and having dark-colored skin can reduce the amount it makes.
If you don’t eat foods rich in Vitamin D, don’t get enough sunlight (especially in the winter months), are older, have dark colored skin, are obese or had gastric bypass surgery, or have a condition that limits fat absorption, such as Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, or ulcerative colitis, you are at risk for low Vitamin D levels, and should probably get your Vitamin D level checked. (*Information gathered from the National Institutes of Health-Office of Dietary Supplements.)
Vitamin D tests are NOT covered as part of the wellness testing package that is often run at the time of an annual physical. It is also NOT commonly covered by insurance unless a Vitamin D deficiency is diagnosed. Vitamin D is a special test that can be chosen from the Veterans Memorial Hospital wellness testing menu. The cost of the test is just $65. You do not need to fast for this test. Please call the Veterans Memorial Hospital Laboratory at 563-568-3411 to schedule a time for your blood draw.
Levels below 30 nmol/L (12 ng/mL) are too low and would warrant the use of a Vitamin D supplement. Remember to always talk to your medical provider before taking any supplements as they may interact with other medications.
For more information or to schedule a Vitamin D test, please call the Veterans Memorial Hospital Laboratory at 563-568-3411.
